Page 48 of The Change Up
I told myself baseball was my only love, and I’m not saying I love Chloe—at least not yet—but there’s something about her that calls to me. And as excited as I am to have her wanting me, to have her forgive me, I can’t let her become a distraction. Friday is a big reminder of what happens when I let my emotions dictate my decisions. I can’t afford to have problems off the field.
Walking around the island, I stand behind Chloe, resting my hands on her shoulders and running my thumbs in soothing motions. She relaxes against my touch, and I can’t help but notice how responsive she is to my touch.
I wonder how she would respond if I touched her in different places.
Lifting her head, her eyes find mine, and her lips curl up. “Wanna go watch a movie?”
Nodding my head, I take her hand and lead her out of the room.
“Don’t worry, we’ll clean the mess,” Hudson shouts from behind us.
I practically pull her up the stairs and into my room where she pauses at the doorway. I watch her take in the room, andI’m curious about what she’s thinking. Chloe’s never been in my room, and while she doesn’t know that I’ve been in hers, I give her the time to snoop through my things.
Stepping further into the room, I make my way over to my bed where I sit and wait for her. Glancing around, I try to see the room through her eyes. I’m not a clean freak, but I’m not the typical douche whose room is absolute chaos.
The walls are painted a pale gray with white trim. A queen-sized bed with a dark gray upholstered headboard sits centered against the wall under a large window. As much as I wanted a king bed, the space would have been tight, and I wanted a room where I felt comfortable spending an extended amount of time…studying.
The beige comforter is pulled up to cover my pillows, while not a perfectly made bed, at least the sheets aren’t sitting haphazardly. A warm brown rustic nightstand is placed beside my bed where an empty coffee mug and water bottle sit. Opposite the nightstand is a matching dresser home to a large TV and a few odds and ends items. My brown desk matches the rest of the furniture and sits on the same wall as the door. There’s a neat stack of textbooks and notebooks next to my laptop where I left them.
A few scattered articles of dirty laundry are draped near the hamper, and I realize now I’m fitting the typical guy stereotype of getting my clothes near the basket. Across from my desk is the attached bathroom which isn’t huge. It’s large enough for a single sink vanity, shower stall, and toilet of course.
As she continues her perusal of my room, my palms sweat with anticipation of what’s to come. My heart hammers in my chest with nerves as I finally have the girl who has consumed my mind alone in my room. I hope I don’t fuck it up this time. I doubt Chloe will give me another chance.
Chloe walks toward my desk and runs her fingers over the smooth surface. She leafs through some of the notebooks I have sitting there, and I smile at how bold she is, before continuing to my dresser. There are a few framed photos on each side of the TV. Chloe grabs the frame holding a photo of me and my sister.
“Leah?”
“Yeah, that’s Leah from a couple of years ago.”
“She’s so pretty.” I hear the smile in her voice and a burst of pride runs through me. I adore my sister and being this far from her is always tough. In the summer, I rarely go home and visit. I try to keep the toxicity out of the house, and it comes out in full force when I’m staying at the house, causing extra stress on everyone. “I bet she’s glad that you aren’t home to ward off the boys.”
A groan erupts from my chest. “Don’t remind me about my sister dating. She’s going to be eighteen next weekend.”
She sets the frame back in its place, and I watch her look at the framed photo of me and my buddies from high school before moving on to the other side of the TV. There’s a framed photo from our freshman year at a party. All my favorite CTU crew is in it—Hudson, Ty, Brynn, Macy, Chloe, Quinton, Grant Campbell, and Tyler Harris. Niko wasn’t in the picture since he hadn’t transferred in yet.
I suck in a breath and wait to see if she inspects the photo closer. If she does, then she’s going to see that I’m looking at her and not at the camera. I remember that night. It was a night where I was getting quite buzzed while my thoughts kept drifting to her and our summer spent together. We were lining up for the picture when I caught a whiff of her infamous scent.
Wildflowers erupted in my nose, and I was thrown back into the past.
Of hot summer days lying in the shade. I’d skim articles on ESPN while she’d read.
It was simple, but it was perfect.
Thankfully, she doesn’t say anything as she turns her body toward me. Her lounge wear hugs her body. It’s in her favorite color purple, something that makes me smile because Chloe is nothing if not predictable. She loves light pastel colors, and I can’t say I blame her. The shades look perfect against her creamy white skin and honey-blond hair.
Bringing her lip between her teeth, she starts to chew on it. I can feel the nervous energy radiating off her, and I’d love nothing more than to soothe her worry away, but she’s like an injured animal. Smooth, slow movements, or else she’ll bare her teeth and run.
Fuck it. I can’t take it slow with Chloe, not when I finally have her alone in my room. Searching her face for any cues, I watch as a flame ignites in her eyes, sparking that passion between us that runs deep to our roots. My hands cup the side of her face as I bring my lips to hers. Sparks detonate at our contact, and our bodies relax. I take the opportunity to trail my hands down her back, soft and slowly, before I’m rounding the curve of her ass. The ass I can’t help but let distract me while she’s in the dugout during games. Unable to fight the impulse, I squeeze her cheeks between my fingers.
“I’m not having sex with you,” she blurts, turning her face away from mine, which causes me to choke on air because I was not expecting that. “I’m not a virgin anymore, you missed the chance to own that, but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to have sex with you.”
Hitting my chest, I sit up as I try to catch my breath. Reaching my hand out, I keep it lifted in the air as I wait for her to take it. Her eyes bounce back and forth like it’s a weapon and not my hand. She reaches out and takes it as I pull her to sit beside me.
“Shit, Wildflower.” I shake my head as I continue to regulate my breathing. “Listen, I’m in this for more than sex. It’s never been about that. Our relationship that summer wasn’t about sex, and I’m not going to pressure you into anything that you’re not ready for. If I could go back and change things, I would, but I can’t, and I hope you will forgive me. You, me, us, it’s been a long time coming, and now that I have you back, I want you. Your mind, your heart, your body, all of it, but you set the pace. And I’m gonna need the name of the fucker who took your virginity.”
‘Alpha-Cody’ was making an appearance, and based on the book I read of hers during the ice storm, I’m hoping she doesn’t mind it. I mean she had so many lines highlighted from Christian/Tristan, whatever his name was.
“I-I didn’t think you wanted to have sex, but I wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”
